I know, I know… another crock pot or slow cooker recipe. I can’t help it. I think I might be addicted. There’s no excuses here… you just chop it up and throw it all together in the pot. It’s that simple. It’s also nice that you can come home to a house smelling delicious, from your dinner cooking all day.

I used a kitchen scale to measure the amount of squash I had. Feel free to improvise.

What’s new with us? Just working away on all of the new features we are adding soon to Locate Special Diet. We are about to expand the mobile app to include ALL 50 states! Super exciting! If you haven’t downloaded it yet, it’s free and available on iPhone and Android ~ Locate Special Diet Mobile Apps

Coming soon to the blog in the next two weeks – The Annual Gluten-Free City Guide! I’m also putting together a Vegetarian City Guide and a Paleo City Guide for Austin. If you do not live in Austin, apologies … regular posting will resume after those posts have been completed! They are in association with the wonderful organization – the Austin Food Blogger Alliance. Speaking of the AFBA, I’ve had the privilege to contribute to the first-ever Austin Food Blogger Alliance Community Cookbook! My gluten-free olive oil pancakes and grilled lime-paprika broccoli will be making an appearance. If you would like to pre-order the cookbook, you may do so by visiting this link: Pre-Order. The cookbook makes a great gift!

Butternut Squash Soup

(Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Vegetarian)

Equipment: I used a 5 quart slow cooker

Ingredients:

~2.75 lb. of butternut squash (cubed). I used about 2 lb. and ~12.5 ounces.

1 large white onion, rough chop

3 cloves garlic, throw in whole

1 can coconut milk, unsweetened

8 cups water

1 bunch leeks (approximately 3), white parts sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon arrowroot

Optional garnish: Italian parsley

Directions:

Peel the butternut squash and scoop out the seeds (save for roasting later). Slice the butternut squash into medium size cubes. There is no need for this to be perfect, as you will blend this all in the end. Leeks are dirty so make sure and wash them! Slice the white parts of the leeks and place in a bowl of water. Swish the leeks around to remove dirt and drain the water. Rough chop the onion. In your slow cooker, place all of the above ingredients and mix to combine some. Cook on high for 4 hours. Depending on the strength of your slow cooker and size, you might have to cook longer or shorter. Stir every once in a while. Once the butternut squash is fork-tender, use an immersion blender to blend ingredients until smooth. Depending on the amount of butternut squash you use, you might need less water or more water. I prefer my soup slightly thicker, so I used more squash and less water. It’s hard to mess this one up

Prefer to cook this on the stove top instead? Sure, it’s possible. Use a large soup pot or dutch oven and use the same amount of ingredients. You will need less cooking time for this preparation.

I am no way near to being a full-blown vegetarian, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy eating meatless meals every now and then. Lately, Chris and I have been eating meatless at least once a week. It’s a chance for our bodies to slow down and savor the flavor of just vegetables, without big hunks of meat getting in the way. Maybe I will make the switch to vegan one day, who knows. I certainly feel great when I eat a healthy diet of whole foods with less meat products.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I never use my crock pot enough. Every time I prepare a meal in the crock pot, it makes me question why I don’t use it more often. This recipe is really simple. [Read more...]